Bottle carrier



Patented July 23, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOTTLE CARRIER. V Arthur 'Edgerton, Rocky River, Ohio, assignor to Convenient Carrier Corporation, Cleveland, 7 Ohio, a corporation of Ohio i Application Augusto, 1944, SerialN-or548,180 (01. 224-45) 3 Claims.

This invention relates broadly to bottle carriers of the type employed in the retail distribution of beverages and more specifically to improvements in fabricated metal carriers for such use.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a metallic frame which may be folded into a substantially fiat relatively small package in order to realize maximum economies in space when empty carriers are in transitude Or storage.

Another object of the invention is to provide a metal frame for carrying bottles which is designed to facilitate the arrangement of filled carriers in stacked or superposed relation.

Another object of the invention is to construct a carrier which will afford an individual support for each of the: bottles placed therein irrespective the number or location of other bottles in the carrier.

Further objects of the invention reside in the provision of a carrier which is attractive of appearance, sturdy of structure, economic of manufacture and adapted for use with minimum adjustment at the crowning machine during the loading operation of the carrier. Other objects and advantages more or less ancillary to the foregoing and the manner in which all the various objects are realized will appear in the following description, which considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, sets forth the preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the improved carrier illustrated in its operative position, a portion of the handle being broken away in the interest of clarity;

Fig, 2 is a side elevational view thereof;

Fig. 3 is an end elevational view of the carrier shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of a portion of the carrier illustrated on an enlarged scale, the section being taken on a plane indicated by the line 4-4 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the carrier shown in its collapsed position, the central partition illustrated in this figure being of an alternate form;

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the folded carrier shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a vertical section through the hinged portion of the carrier frame, the section being taken on a plane indicated by the line 7-1 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is an elevational view partially in section of a handle of an alternate form; and

Fig. 9 is a vertical section therethrough including the fragmentary portion of the side frame of the carrier.

Referring first to Fig. 1 the carrier comprises a narrow band to of relatively thin sheet metal stock formed to partially envelop the outer faces of a plurality of bottles when arranged in. pairs and columnar alignment as shown. The end walls I I of the frame are tangential to the outer bottles so grouped, the ends l2 of the band being united by welding or secured by rivets one of which may serve as the supporting element for the bail or handle IS. The central portion of the side wall of the band H) is pierced and die struck to form tongues l4 bent inwardly and arcuately to partially envelop the inner side walls of the contiguous bottles, The tongues are of sufficient length to prevent lateral movement of the bottle embraced thereby.

The upper edges of the end walls ll of the frame are pierced and folded outwardly to form ledges or stops l5 provided to delimit the inner movement of the bottle supporting members or cradles l6. As will be seen in Figs. 2 and 3 the cradles are of U -shape configuration mounted for pivotal movement upon rivets lBa seated in the end walls I l of the frame ID. The cradles are disposed in spaced relation with each other and are arranged relative to the centers of the aligned bottles to provide a substantial bearing for the base or bottom walls thereof. The upper ends of the cradle arms are formed with arcuate corners H to facilitate the folded adjustment of the eradles to the position indicated in Fig. 5. The inner sides of the arms are formed with squared corners I8 adapted for engagement with the stops I5 when the cradles are adjusted in their operative position shown in Fig. 3. In order to accommodate the stacked relation of a plurality of the carriers the handle I3 is formed with a slot l9 adjacent the ends thereof, the slot being of suficient length to permit the handle to drop below the crowns of the bottles when released. The arms of the handles are designed to afford adequate finger clearance above the crowns of the bottles and also overlie the base of the cradles when the carrier is folded in its collapsed position as shown case, is designed to permit adjustment of the bail below the tops of the bottle crowns.

It will be readily recognized that the carrier as formed may be folded into a, flat relatively small package to facilitate shipping thereof, that the bottles supported therein may be firmly held so that one or more bottles may be carried in the container without danger of any of them falling therefrom, that the weight of the bottles will prevent collapse of the cradle l6 when folded into i operative position, that the handle of either form disclosed herein may be positioned below the crowns of the bottles and that the cradles when adjusted in their operative position will afiord adequate stability for self sustained support of the structure when moved along the conveyor adjacent the crowning machine.

Although they foregoing description is necessarily of a detailed character, in order that the invention may be completely set forth, it is to be rows, curved sections in said loop configured for engagement with portions of the side walls of bottles enveloped by said loop, tongues pierced from said curved sections and formed to partially envelop the side walls of the bottles enveloped by said loop, a pair of cradles formed of strip metal pivotally mounted in spaced relation on the end portions of said loop, the bottom portion of each of said cradles constituting a supporting medium for a row of bottles, said cradles being formed to fold outwardly over the sides of said loop and lie in a common plane therewith.

2. A bottle carrier comprising a, continuous loop of sheet metal strip stock configured for engage 'ment with portions of the side walls 01 a plurality of bottles, separators in said loop, configured for engagement with portions of the side walls of the bottles, and a pair of spaced U-shaped arms formed of sheet metal strip stock pivoted to and depending from said loop, the width of the base of said U-arms being substantially equal to the diameter of the tops of the bottles and being disposed within a plane common to the vertical axis of the bottles whereby one of said carriers filled with bottles may be stacked upon another.

3. A bottle carrier comprising a continuous loop of flat metal stock formed to encompass a plurality of bottles, a pair of U-shaped arms each of a width equal to that of said loop, said'arms being pivoted on said loop in spaced relation with each other and adapted for adjustment normal thereto or parallel therewith, a, handle pivotally mounted on. said loop intermediate the pivoted connections for said arms, the pivotal connection for said handle being disposed beyond the faces of said arms whereby saidhandle may be ad-,

justed in parallel relation with said loop and said arms and in overlapped relation with either of said arms. V

ARTHUR H. EDGERTON. 

